Accountability through Professionalising Programme & Project Management

1. Accountability through Professionalising Programme & Project Management Developing programme & project management capacities for UNDP and national counterparts The CEDAR Project November 2005

2. Overview This presentation provides an overview of the rationale, plan and schedule for developing the programme & project management capacities of UNDP staff, and ultimately, of national counterparts.

3. Background: Professionalisation As part of UNDP’s MYFF objectives to strengthen development effectiveness and achieve organisational effectiveness, the management practice is focusing on the professionalising the way we do our work. MYFF 2004-2007 Organisational strategies Support development effectiveness Achieve organisational effectiveness Deepen partnerships Integrated resource framework

4. the focus of this presentation Background: Professionalisation UNDP is professionalising the way it works through clearer guidance, training, and support in the areas of: • Programme & project management • Procurement • Finance • Human Resources The CEDAR (Capacity for Efficient Delivery of Achievable Results) Project has been launched to strengthen and professionalise programme and project management functions The CEDAR Project

5. Background: Professionalisation This professionalisation is to be achieved through: • Updated Policy Content: policies are being updated and uploaded as Prescriptive Content on the UNDP Intranet (The UNDP User Guide) • Training & Certification: industry standard and UNDP-specific training courses and certification examinations are being prepared • Implementation Support: Regional Advisers and support consultants are being placed and will be trained to provide support Programme & Project Management Procurement Finance Human Resources

6. Background: Professionalisation With this professionalisation of UNDP comes the greater opportunity of transferring knowledge and developing the capacities of national counterparts. UNDP Programme & Project Management Procurement Finance Human Resources Capacity Development National Counterparts Programme & Project Management Procurement Finance Human Resources

7. UNDP & Project Management Programmes and projects are the fundamental structures within which UNDP provides value to partners and beneficiaries. • Currently, UNDP is involved in more than 6,000 development projects in over 130 countries around the world • Programmes and projects are the structures within which we plan and execute all of our work • Nearly all UNDP staff members do their work within the context of programmes and projects

8. Improving UNDP Project Mgmt Although projects are a fundamental management structure, UNDP has clear areas for improvement. • Project management for UNDP has traditionally been done through: • Tracking of financial resources and budget revisions • Compliance with programming policies • Evaluation of some outcomes • “On the job” capacity development (no corporate standard programme or project management training) • Areas for improvement: • Manage and monitor projects from a results-based perspective • Develop project management methods based on international best practices • Provide comprehensive and consistent training programmes • Provide ongoing support

9. Hypothesis… Based on the importance of programmes and projects for UNDP, and the identified areas of improvement, the following hypothesis drives a plan for change: • Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of programme and project management (within UNDP and counterparts) will significantly improve the achievement of development results. • In other words… planning, designing, and implementing programmes and projects in the right way matters.

10. The Case for Improvement: Financial Quantifying this hypothesis into case for change results in the following gross calculation: • If… UNDP spent US$2.8 billion in 2004 in development projects (a fact) • …Then an improvement in financial efficiency of only 0.1% (an unscientific and gross estimate) would equate to a financial savings of US$2.8 million per annum. • Can improvements in programme & project management efficiency gain 0.1% or more? • AND… Can improvements lead to more effective achievement of development results?

11. The Case for Improvement: Accountability The Volker investigation, as well as the recent problems in a few of our own Country Offices, has been a reminder of the necessity of transparency and accountability. • This effort will enhance accountability through: • Ensuring external validation and certification of our programme & project management practices, at individual and office levels • Ensuring clear roles are assigned in the management of programmes & projects • Following clear guidelines and methods that are consistently applied in all COs

12. Objective For programme & project management, the three areas of focus for professionalisation are aimed at the following key objective: Improve the programme and project management accountability, consistency, effectiveness and efficiency of UNDP and counterparts Updated Policy Content Training & Certification Implementation Support

13. Benefits Achievement of this objective results in the following key benefits: Improve the programme and project management accountability, consistency, effectiveness and efficiency of UNDP and counterparts • Achieve a higher success rate in delivering results against plan (clarity of approach, higher quality, on time, and on budget) • Gain higher staff morale through knowing what to do, how to do it, and confidence in delivering results • “Professionalise” project management skills for UNDP staff and national counterpart representatives • Improve donor relations in following an international management standard and delivering results against plan

14. A 2-Year Vision The initial measures of success for this effort have been defined in a 2-year vision: Target: Success Indicators: Implications: CO & RBx Role: • COs schedule & conduct training exams All appropriate UNDP staff trained in programme & project management • Training materials and individual-level certification defined 2006 2006 Partnership developed with donors to build national-level project management capacities 5 COs certified in programme & project management maturity • Advocacy for need in effective programme & project management • “absorption” of effective project management practices • RBx assist in partnership development efforts • COs and RBx support design and approach to certification 2007 ~20-40 COs certified in programme & project management maturity;remainder of COs on track for certification in following 2 years • COs track and manage self-improvement • “absorption” of effective project management practices • Office-level certification approach defined ~2-5 national counterparts certified in programme & project management maturity • COs capable to train and advise counterparts • COs lead national counterpart capacity development 2007

15. What Has Been Done? To date, the first set of milestones have been achieved. Updated Policy Content • Completed update and restructuring of programming policies based on PRINCE2 international standard • Launched Results Management section of the UNDP User Guide Training & Certification • Conducted 8 pilot project management training missions • Ongoing PRINCE2 training and certification in PPO training workshops • Procured a global license for PRINCE2 training modules Implementation Support • Placed 3 Regional Project Management Advisers (RBAP, RBA, RBEC) • Modified Atlas to align with the UNDP User Guide

16. Steps to Improvement The key steps starting in 2006 for improving programme & project management within UNDP and for counterparts involves training, guidance, and certification. Improve UNDP Capacities Improve Counterpart Capacities CO Guidance & Support in Programme & Project Management • Results Management Toolkit CO-Level Certification Develop Capacity of Counterparts & Partners • Partner capacity development approach & tools • Objective assessment and certification process for COs Individual-Level Certification • PRINCE2 training module & exam (En, Fr, Sp) • UNDP training modules & exams (En, Fr, Sp)

17. Capability Release Schedule By end 2005, training, guidance toolkits, certification materials, and support materials will be available to develop capacities in the CO and with counterparts. level of effort& level ofimprovement Implementation Support Capacity:Regional Project Advisers, trained UNDP “support consultants”, & professional consultancies support as desired by COs Ability todevelopnatl & partner capacities Partner capacity development kit CO-levelcertification CO certification approach Second-levelCO improvements Results Management Toolkit v2 First-levelCO improvements Results Mgmt. Toolkit v1 minimum required level of competency for all COs Individual-levelcertification UNDP training PRINCE2 training time Nov 05 Jan 06 Jun 06 Jan 07 = target milestone to release capability to COs = timeframe of capability use for COs

18. What Happens Now in the CO? Each CO will define and manage their own plan towards improved programme & project management, depending on their needs. The Results Management Guide Implementation Toolkit will be used by CO management to define and implement their plan.

19. What Are the Specific To Do’s? A sampling of specific deliverables to complete as part of this improvement plan are outlined below. • Define CO-level responsibilities • Develop the project plan • Communicate with CO and partners • Train and certify staff in PRINCE2 and UNDP Management for Results • Review and modify project portfolio as required • Continue with training • Continue with planned improvements • Plan national counterpart capacity development as appropriate

20. What Can I Do Now? To prepare for this programme & project management capacity development effort, CO staff can “kick start” if desired as follows: • Read the new Results Management section of the UNDP User Guide • Participate in MPN-Project with questions and read discussions relating to programming policies and methods • Register for and pre-study the PRINCE2 online training module, found on the LRC Learning Management System • Review the Results Management Guide Implementation Toolkit • Identify and discuss suggested improvements in programme and project management practices within your CO

21. Who is Involved in this Work? This effort is structured under the CEDAR Project (Capacity for Efficient Delivery of Achievable Results). Project Sponsor: The CEDAR Project • Terence Jones (BDP) Project Steering Committee: • Terence Jones (BDP) • Jens Wandel (BOM) • Jeffrey Avina (RBA) Project Advisory Group: • Representatives of project management pilot training workshops Project Team: • John Patterson (BDP, Project Manager) • Dien Le (BDP) • Naoto Yamamoto (BOM) • Thomas Eriksson (BOM) • Patrick Gremillet (BOM, RBEC) • Patrick Tiefenbacher (BOM, RBA)

22. For more information… Please feel free to contact: John Patterson – Project Manager john.patterson@undp.org or… post your general programme and project management queries to MPN-Project: mpn-project@groups.undp.org and… for those who have been through a project management learning event, you will be invited to join and post your specific queries and experiences to Project-Net: project-net@groups.undp.org